Book Review – Rainbow Bridge by Niki Behrikis Shanahan

Do dogs go to heaven? Do cats? I have heard different things from different church groups and different people. I’d like to think that my past pets are in heaven. Why shouldn’t they be? If you have recently lost a pet and are wondering yourself, I highly recommend you read, Rainbow Bridge, Pet Loss is Heaven’s Gain. The author, Niki Behrikis Shanahan, answers the question about animals in heaven. She quotes scripture and gives lots of examples of people who have had a glimpse of heaven and seen animals there.

Chapter 2 talks about animal companions in history. People have had pets all throughout recorded history and there is even evidence of pets in ancient archeological finds. My favorite chapter is Chapter 3. This chapter is full of stories about people and why they believe their pets are in heaven. One story is about a boy who is dying. On his deathbed, he sees his old dog who has long since passed. Is it possible that his dog is in heaven and came to the boy to reassure him that even though he was dying, everything was going to be okay? I’d like to think so.

The other chapters give more examples of scripture. Chapter 4 give scripture explaining that even though you die in this world, your spirit does not die. And this may be the same for animals. Chapter 5 helps you overcome the depression of losing your pet. The scriptures tell you that you can mourn but you also need to move on, just like how our pet has moved on to a better place. And you can move on by helping other people or animals in need.

Although I am not currently mourning a lost pet, I feel that this book will help anyone who recently has. I read through it pretty quickly but especially savored some special paragraphs and scriptures. You can get this book and other pet-related books at our Dog Lover’s Book Store.